BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Hailed one of the most influential scenographers of the 20th Century, Czech set designer Josef Svoboda’s work is seen in Australia for the first time in Victorian Opera’s production of La Traviata.
Svoboda took an interest in theatre and design after the Second World War, studying at the Prague Conservatory and becoming the Czech National Theatre’s principal designer in 1948, where he stayed for three decades.
Known for his innovative video, projection, and lighting designs, Svoboda’s interest in large scale reflections is evident in the ‘Traviata of Mirrors’ in which an enormous mirror is suspended above the stage.
When considering the importance of this set design on Verdi’s original opera, Victorian Opera Artistic Director Richard Mills explains that “the scenic artist is literally holding a mirror up to society’s hypocrisy, bringing the audience into the world of courtesan Violetta Valery and inviting them to reflect on their own stories of love and loss.”
“Svoboda is a great designer. The production we’re doing in collaboration with our colleagues in a place called Jesi in Italy, which has outstanding productions of Italian classics – and this production has an outstanding design which we’re now able to access for this season.”
Richard Mills himself is most looking forward to the “great singing and wonderful production.”
“It’s a great cast with one of the greatest sopranos Jessica Pratt, and the lovely thing about this is that our tenor, Alessandro Scotti di Luzio, plays a young Alfredo Germont. It’s lovely that over the course of the opera, he grows up.”
So what’s the production really like? Check out the opinion of our reviewers Megan Burslem and Lucy Rash: https://www.cutcommonmag.com/live-review-la-traviata/ .
Victorian Opera La Traviata is in Her Majesty’s Theatre until May 29. For more information go to www.victorianopera.com.au.
